The Wedding Gift

by Judy Kentrus

  Now it’s my turn, Thom said to himself, watching the fiancée leave his little flower to be plucked by the big bad wolf. He lifted Cindi’s hand and appreciated the beauty of the expensive ring. “He has good taste in jewelry and women.”

  “That he does,” she said, and withdrew her hand.

  “I’m glad he isn’t here, so we can talk. There are things I need to say, just to you.”

  “Talk away, but it’s too late—fifteen years too late.”

  Thom moved his eyes over each of her lovely features, her pert nose, beautiful eyes that glowed with fire, soft chin, and kissable lips. She looked spectacular in red, but was going to look even better naked. “You were a cute teenager, but you have turned into a very beautiful woman. I was a fool to let you go.”

  The heat in his eyes was something she’d never observed, but his voice and words lacked conviction. “I am not the stupid, gullible teenager I was fifteen years ago. Since this is confess-all time, I need the truth. Did you agree with your mother to break it off with me? Did you know she offered me a bribe?”

  “Absolutely not. She threatened to withhold my college fund if I didn’t end my relationship with you.” There were things he wasn’t about to reveal, so what was a little lie? He’d also gotten tired of waiting for her to put out. “She told me about the bribe a year later and was genuinely surprised you didn’t take the money.” That statement was the truth.

  Merilee coming back to the table ended their private moment. “Sorry I took so long. Had to run to the ladies’ room. I inquired about the champagne, and the hot-looking guy behind the bar said they ran out. Personally, I think it’s a lot of bull. He’s getting a bottle of house wine.” She suddenly realized Preston’s seat was empty. “Where did he go?”

  “Someone hit his Aston Martin and he had to deal with the police.”

  “He drives an Aston Martin,” Merilee choked out. “Where was I when they were handing out rich, hunky men?”

  Cindi jerked her head toward Thom. “He’s available. You just have to get past his momma.”

  Her one-liner made him laugh. What a beautiful little spitfire. Everything he wanted in a woman. She wasn’t married, yet. When the DJ started playing a new song, his luck had changed. He stood up and held out a hand. “Come on, Cindi, they are playing our song.”

  Cindi heard it too, and the song jolted a memory from their senior prom. He’d confessed his love in the middle of the dance floor. Her eyes were drawn to the video screen. The cool, mellow voice of Gareth Gates broke into “Unchained Melody.”

  A warm, sentimental glow filled her eyes. Thom saw his chance and pressed a little harder. “Come on—it’s not like I just asked you to have sex. It’s only a dance with a former love that is very sorry he let you go. Think of it as closing a chapter in your life before you start a new one.” He loved playing the guilt card, and mentally patted himself on the back. She always did fall for his smooth lines.

  Cindi had an “eat your heart out” moment and decided to grant him a goodbye request. In a way, she owed him for creating the heartbreaking situation that had sent her to New York. If she’d stayed in Stevensville, she’d never have met Preston. “All right, just one dance.”

  The moment they stood up, he slipped a possessive arm around her waist and pulled her close to his side. She was having second thoughts when he drew her into a full-body clench and became aware of every male part of him. Cindi kept a stiff back and moved through the dance steps by rote. He was right. Close the chapter on a part of her life before moving onto the next.

  Preston stood outside in the cold, waiting for Officer Lynch to copy down the information from his license and insurance card. This just wasn’t his night. He’d bent down to check the damage on the front of his car and, in the poor lighting, hadn’t been aware of the patch of ice close to the front tire. His foot slipped and he wrenched his bad leg, trying to prevent himself from falling. The damage to his car was the least of his problems. He didn’t want to leave Cindi alone with that sleaze. He didn’t like him, but something about the lawyer didn’t smell right. Preston’s sense of wrongness was screaming loud and clear.

  The officer thanked Preston for verifying ownership, and he returned his credentials to his glove box before heading inside. When he opened the door to the banquet room and saw Cindi in the snake’s arms, he lost it. Strike four.

  Chapter 4

  Merilee stood alone and leaned a curvy hip against the bar, tapping her foot, drawing attention to her strappy stilettos. Florence and Bill had spotted a couple they hadn’t seen in a few years and were currently at their table reminiscing. This bottle of wine had better be good, considering how long Merilee had to wait. The bartender had run out of ice and had to get more from the ice machine in the kitchen. How did anyone run out of ice at a party? Ridiculous!

  She loved the song that was currently playing. Gareth Gates had recorded the old song, and she was envious of the clinging couples circulating the floor. Some held each other respectfully close, others body to body. She missed having daily sex, but her luck with men sucked. Her man radar kept zeroing in on assholes. Her eyes settled on Cindi and Thom as they moved to the flowing rhythm of the love song. They’d made a cute couple in high school and now, all grown up, they looked spectacular together. Thom certainly hadn’t wasted any time making his move on Cindi Pearl.

  Thom! Cindi! Her mind shouted in alarm, and she ran a nervous eye around the room, looking for the fiancée. Then she remembered Preston had to meet with the police about his car.

  “Sorry you had to wait, miss,” the bartender said, setting a silver ice bucket on the highly polished surface of the bar. The bottle of Pinot Noir was already nestled in the ice cubes.

  “If I had to wait any longer, the wine would have fermented to vinegar,” she complained, admiring the firm butt on the hot-looking bartender when he turned around to retrieve the wine glasses on the lower shelf. The short sleeves of his black T-shirt hugged the muscles on his upper arms. A thin leather strip caught the long black hair that ended well below broad shoulders. He had everything she loved in a man: a tight ass, muscles, and long hair, but that type generally thought with the protrusion between their legs, rather than their brain. She really had to be hard up lusting after a lowly bartender.

  “Matches your personality,” he muttered. His backup bartender had picked the wrong night to be sick. He’d been up for thirty straight hours and had no patience for bitchy women.

  “I heard that, smartass!” Merilee sneered, and tapped her long, painted fingernail on the top of the bar. “What’s your name?”

  “Grayson, but my friends call me Gray.”

  Just like his eyes, she silently noted. “I’ll never recommend this place to my friends.”

  “Thank God! Are you ready for your wine?” It was a very good quality from a California vineyard, and he prided himself on offering an upgraded line of liquor for his customers, not that everyone appreciated his efforts. He did keep a popular grade for regulars who insisted on down-home quality.

  “I’ll carry the glasses,” she offered, and picked up the tray. She’d just turned to head back to the table when she spotted Preston entering the room. The fury of an incoming storm matched the look on his face and spelled trouble with a capital T. Not good, she told herself, and determined a distraction was needed. She was an expert at causing a scene, and she owed Cindi Pearl for going after her man.

  Gray had just come around from behind the bar with the bucket of ice cradled in his arm, and almost collided with the snooty bitch that held the tray with the wine glasses.

  “There’s a fifty-dollar tip in it if you accidentally bump into the guy with the curly blond hair dancing with the girl in the red dress. He’s got the hots for another guy’s girl and needs to cool off.”

  “You mean the guy dancing with Cindi Pearl, Preston Reynolds’ fiancée?”

  “You know Preston?”

  “He’s a former Army Ranger, a real hero. Lost a part of his r
ight leg in Iraq, saving his platoon.”

  “His leg?” Merilee blanched at the thought of that gorgeous hunk not being a whole man.

  Grayson didn’t have time to offer an explanation. “If you still want me to have an accident with the bucket, I’ll do it for free.”

  The last time Preston was this angry was when he saw Cindi in the arms of Treig Taylor, a fellow employee. It had been an innocent misunderstanding, but not this time. With each step his slow burn increased, reawakening the green-eyed monster. He was hungry, this time for a fight. He really wasn’t a violent person, but when it came to Cindi, something inside snapped. It had to be the murderous look on his face that made people give him a wide berth as he headed for the dance floor. Stop, you are acting like a lovesick jerk, his common sense warned. Cindi Pearl loves you. Don’t cause a scene. On top of everything else, his knee and thigh ached like a bitch.

  The song was half over, and Thom realized he hadn’t gained any sentimental points from Cindi Pearl. Generally, women were eager to impress him and babble about themselves, but Cindi was the exception to the rule. Once again he changed tactics.

  “Tell me about Adams Security. Do you like your job?”

  Cindi’s eyes darted between the other dancers, frequently settling on the exit door. What was keeping Preston? How long did it take to look at the car? The hand holding hers was clammy, and if the hand Thom had on her waist moved a little more south, she was going to belt him. He always did have itchy hands and roaming fingers, but she’d been able to keep him at bay. Then she realized her old boyfriend had asked her a question. She replied like an ad voice-over.

  “We have four locations: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and our new location, Laurel Heights. In addition to undercover and background investigations, our new division specializes in high-tech security design, installation, and monitoring. I’m the administrative assistant to Lincoln Adams, the owner. I love my job.”

  “Does your boss wear an eye patch and is married to a cop?”

  “Yes.”

  “I recently read an article about him in one of my magazines. My partners and I plan to upgrade the security on all of our offices. Can I call you to make an appointment with your boss?”

  “He doesn’t get involved with potential clients.” Not with you, anyway, Cindi silently added. “You need to make an appointment with the head of our security design department. Have your admin Google Adams Security and Investigations. Our general number is posted on our website.”

  Thom was insulted at Cindi’s suggestion he speak to a lowly head of a division. She’d also become an expert at playing hard to get. He was never one to accept defeat.

  The pain in Preston’s leg intensified, and he started to limp, something he hadn’t done in months. A couple shifted out of his way and his eyes met Cindi’s, but she stopped dancing and zeroed in his limp. Her expression changed from relief to concern.

  Cindi was momentarily distracted when a large hand lowered to a part of her body that was reserved for only one person. “That’s it! You always did have a problem with your hands!” She shoved out of Thom’s arms, brought her hand up, and slapped him squarely across the face. To add insult to injury, she wiped the stunned expression off his face with a double-fisted punch to the stomach.

  The forceful movement sent him off balance, and he was unaware of Grayson and Merilee’s presence at his back. Thom’s arms flailed outward and caught the bottom of the ice bucket. The upward motion sent cold water and ice cubes up into the air like a burst of fireworks.

  The other dancers scattered, but a shower of cubes and water came down on top of Cindi’s head. To make matters worse, ice cubes bounced off Thom’s shoulders and found a home in the v-neck of her dress.

  Leland was a victim of the wayward ice cubes that found their way under his shoes. He went to take a step, his feet flew out in front of him, and he landed on his ass in a puddle of ice water.

  “That’s one way to cool things off.” Merilee laughed. “Not what I planned, but it worked.” She turned around to a smiling Grayson and gave him a high five. “Great save on the bubbly.” When the bottle went flying, he caught the wine before it hit the floor.

  Preston accepted napkins from Florence and hurried over to a gasping Cindi. He dabbed at the water on her shoulders, neck, and face. “Are you okay?”

  “Just a little frostbitten.” The damn ice cubes were melting in her cleavage, but she wasn’t about to stick her hand down the front of her dress. “Really, I’m fine, but you’re not.” Her eyes lowered to his knee, and she could almost feel his discomfort. She really wanted to touch him. “Why are you limping?”

  “I’ll tell you in the car on the way home. You can drive.”

  “You do know that is the only reason I am marrying you. I love that car.”

  “I’ll buy you one after we get back from our honeymoon.”

  She turned and looked at her former classmates. “As you can see, I’m still a little clumsy.” She smirked at Thom Leland on the floor. Three women were using white napkins to wipe the wetness from his hair and jacket, and he was lapping up the attention. What did she ever see in him?

  Cindi collected her shawl, and they were about to leave when Preston said, “I’m not done.”

  Cindi grabbed his tightened fist. “Please don’t punch him. Knowing the jerk, he’ll press charges and have you arrested.” She leaned close to his ear. “If we hurry, you can take the rest of the ice cubes out from the front of my dress, even cop a feel.”

  “I promise not to punch him—this time—and I’ll hurry,” he added with a knowing wink. He limped toward Thom, and the three women surrounding the lawyer stepped aside.

  Thomas went to get up, but couldn’t move from the weight of a foot on his chest. He raised his head to behold a furious Preston Reynolds. “She is one hot firecracker.”

  “I normally give person three chances after I’ve met them, but I made an exception and gave you four, just so I wouldn’t embarrass my fiancée.” Preston increased the pressure on his foot. “One last time, Leland. Cindi Pearl is my firecracker. If you ever touch her again, a great deal more than your hand will be broken. You may have the rest of the people in this room snowed, but I can see right through your pretense. I repeat, Cindi Pearl is off limits. In”—Preston lifted his arm to look at his watch—“three hundred twenty-eight hours, she will become my wife.”

  Merilee started to laugh and then clapped, followed by Florence, her husband Bill, and the rest of the attendees. She stepped up to a stunned Thom and punched him lightly in the arm. “You picked the wrong Army Ranger to mess with.”

  “No, he’s just made the second biggest mistake of his life.” Thom said it so low no one heard him issue the threat.

  At eleven o’clock at night, the town was quiet and serene. The thin blanket of white on the grass, combined with the thousands of white lights, created a wintery fairyland. Cindi turned on the radio and started to hum when Reba Macintyre started singing “Mary, Did You Know?” She glanced at Preston in the passenger seat. His head was pressed against the headrest and his eyes were closed, but he was anything but relaxed. He was in agony. Once again, she’d gotten him involved in one of her messes, but this time he’d gotten hurt being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

  “Are you sure you still want to marry me?”

  “Why would you ask a ridiculous question like that?” He took controlled deep breaths, trying to alleviate some of the pain in his upper leg. Everyone once in a while, a zinger would shoot into his thigh.

  “If I hadn’t asked you to go to that stupid party, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”

  “You are taking the blame for the ice on the ground near my car. Next you’re going to take the blame for me stepping on a goddamn land mine.”

  “Is that what happened?” They headed out of town. Streetlights became nonexistent and Cindi turned on the high-beams. She gripped the wheel tighter and darted a glance in his direction. It pained her to see him in
such distress. “Tell me.”

  “We were on patrol, and I spotted the detonator for the IED and told everyone to step back. They moved off, but there was a second booby trap. I saw it seconds too late. It went off and the rest is history.” Preston opened his eyes and turned his head to look at the woman who’d become a permanent part of his heart. The lights on the dash bounced off the tears running down her face. He lifted a hand across the short space and caught a tear about to drop off her chin. “Don’t cry, Cindi Pearl. It’s over. I am here with you and there is no place else I would rather be. You wouldn’t happen to have any pain pills in that itty-bitty purse?”

  “If you wouldn’t mind taking the pills I use for girly cramps.”

  “I don’t care as long as they don’t make me pregnant,” he teased.

  “Have no fear. You’ll find them in a small container in the side pocket of my purse. You’ll have to swallow them without water.”

  “Won’t be the first time.”

  They were halfway home when Cindi got a text. “Samantha is home and she’s already taken care of the animals, so the rest of the night is ours. Will you be able to make it up the stairs?”

  “I can make it, with your help. Why?”

  “Let’s go to our house. The Jacuzzi tub should definitely help your leg. The queen-size blow-up mattress is still on the floor in our bedroom, and we’ve got plenty of linens. Tomorrow morning we can get breakfast at the Spoonful and then put away our shower presents. I’ll write out the thank-you cards and you can address the envelopes.”

  “Sounds like a plan, but what about clothes for tonight?”

  “I’ve got a thong.” She grinned.

  “I’d say our wardrobe is complete, but you might be a bit overdressed.”

  “I’m sure you are capable of rectifying that problem.”

  “I’m your man.” Preston reached for his cell phone and retrieved the app for his home security. He had a surprise for Cindi. He’d spent the past couple of days at the house on his lunch hour and placed flickering candle lights in all the windows and decorated the exterior with tiny white lights. He’d added a large fresh wreath to the antique wooden door. They planned to decorate their first Christmas tree together, and the fresh balled tree had already been delivered. He tapped the special button and prayed the lights would be on when they pulled down their driveway.